man on the Clapham omnibus en · NOUN
Etymology
First put to legal use in a reported judgement by Sir Richard Henn Collins MR in the English Court of Appeal libel case, McQuire v. Western Morning News (1903), who attributed it to Lord Bowen.
Meanings
-
(UK) Any hypothetical reasonable person used by the Courts in considering questions of reasonableness; an everyman.
Near-synonyms: man on the Bondi tram, man on the Shau Kei Wan tram, reasonable person
- (UK, broadly) Any ordinary person; everyman.
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| men on the Clapham omnibus | Number=Plur | rare | lexicographic |
Coordinates
Mrs Miggins · person having ordinary skill in the art · moron in a hurry · woman on the street
Synonyms
man on the Shau Kei Wan tram · reasonable person · man on the street · man on the Bondi tram